God is Always Good {Book Review}

Last spring, I won the picture book, “God is Always Good: Comfort for Kids Facing Grief, Worry, or Scary Times.” It’s such a comforting and uplifting book, I thought I’d share about it with you here.

Even though this book is written for children ages 4 – 8 years old, I can think of a few nine- and ten-year-olds who would enjoy the message as well.

The Author

The author of “God is Always Good,” is one of my favorites–Tama Fortner! She’s written over fifty books. Several of those I’ve reviewed here on the blog such as Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids, and God, I Feel Sad.

With over twenty-five years of publishing experience as a writer, ghostwriter, and editor, she’s been blessed to work with some of the biggest names in Christian publishing to create books for children, teens, and adults.

Tama and her husband live in Nashville, Tennessee and they have two grown children.

You can learn more about Tama and her work at www.tamafortner.com.

The Illustrator

I couldn’t find a website for the illustrator. However, Simon & Schuster posted this about her:

“Veronica Vasylenko studied Art at Bradford Art College and Graphic Design at Liverpool John Moores University. She lives and works in the small market town of Otley, West Yorkshire, and loves inventing characters and bringing them to life through her illustrations. In her spare time, Veronica enjoys cycling and running.”

Veronica does a beautiful job illustrating sweet animal characters in “God is Always Good,” using colorful watercolors and gentle strokes.

The Content of “God is Always Good”

The story begins with a mother rabbit and her child rabbit enjoying a picnic. The child asks what God is like and a conversation follows with other questions:

“But how do you know He’s good?”

“Did God make me too?”

“Does God make bad things happen?”

“Then, where is God when bad things happen?”

“Can I help [show God’s love} too?”

“Why can’t everything just stay the same?”

“Is there anything God can’t do?”

“So God really is always good?”

By the time, the rabbits arrive home and the little one is ready for bed, they’ve had child-appropriate conversations about how sometimes bad things happen, how sometimes we still get scared or sad, and how difficult it is to love the “not-so-nice people.”

Biblical Truths

Last, but certainly not the least of the details: there are Biblical truths throughout this book. Each two-page spread contains a verse of scripture from the International Children’s Bible.

“The Lord is good” (Nahum 1:7).

Also on each spread is a gentle and loving response to each of the child’s questions.

All in all, there are fourteen wonderful scriptures printed from the Old Testament and the New Testament. They back up the answers the mother rabbit gives and they emphasize how God is always good.

Recommendation

I highly recommend this wonderful book. The first page has a place to write in who the book is a gift for, who it is from, and the date. This would be a perfect gift to give a child who is dealing with sadness, worry, or fear. I love the scriptures the author chose! And, how she presented God’s truths in a way young children will understand. If you’re wanting to build your family’s library with excellent, Christian books–this is one you’ll definitely want to include.

Hey, friends. Do you know of another Christian book you would recommend for little ones?

A freelance writer, Sally Matheny’s writing is published in worldwide, national, regional, online and print publications including Appleseeds, Clubhouse Jr., Homeschooling Today, and The Old Schoolhouse.

As a writer, blogger, and speaker, Sally encourages parents to live victorious and to courageously tell the next generation wondrous things. Connect with her on several social media sites, but her favorite hangouts are at SallyMatheny.com and Pinterest.